Check out

Ryanair's quirky CEO, Michael O'Leary, has called legislation forcing passengers to wear seatbelts useless, unnecessary and insisted upon only by authorities he deems "plonkers".

The Telegraph reports that O'Leary dismissed the notion that seatbelts are an essential safety requirement, saying: "If there ever was a crash on an aircraft, God forbid, a seatbelt won't save you."

O'Leary is reportedly on a quest to take out the back ten rows of seats on planes so that Ryanair could offer tickets for one pound (about R13) to budget travelers willing to spend a flight on their feet in a "standing cabin."

He told The Telegraph that people should be permitted to stand on a plane, as it is basically "just a bus with wings".

So, what about oft-bumpy landings? He suggested passengers would be fine if they just "hang on to the handle"

Todd Curtis, a former Boeing engineer and founder of AirSafe.com, says O'Leary's no-seatbelt ideal is unrealistic. "It's not going to be acceptable to the regulatory authorities," Curtis told NBC News, adding that he got a chuckle out of O'Leary's comments.

Seat belts keep passengers safe during turbulence, which can strike unexpectedly and can even happen when the sky appears to be clear, the Federal Aviation Administration says.

24.com publishes all comments posted on articles provided that they adhere to our Comments Policy. Should you wish to report a comment for editorial review, please do so by clicking the 'Report Comment' button to the right of each comment.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Saving your profile

Settings

News24 allows you to edit the display of certain components based on a location.
If you wish to personalise the page based on your preferences, please select a
location for each component and click "Submit" in order for the changes to
take affect.

Your Location*

Weather*

Always remember my setting

Saving your settings

Facebook Sign-In

Hi News addict,

Join the News24 Community to be involved in breaking the news.

Log in with Facebook to comment and personalise news, weather and listings.